LI jobless rates some of lowest

Though Nassau and Suffolk counties' unemployment rates are still at recession-like highs, they're some of the lowest in the state, according to state Labor Department data released Tuesday.

Nassau's rate inched up to 7.3 percent in February from 7.2 percent a year ago. Suffolk's rate ticked up to 8.3 percent from 8.2 percent. Overall the Island's rate was 7.8 percent, just 0.4 percentage point off February’s 2010’s 8.2 percent, the highest rate reached in the unsettled job market following the recession’s official end in June 2009. In 2007, the year the recession officially began, the rate dipped as low as 3.3 percent.

The Island's rate looks pretty good compared with other areas around the state, like Bronx County which had a 14.1 percent jobless rate in February, the state's highest. Queens County fell in the middle of the pack with a 9.2 percent.

The lowest rate -6.5 percent- was in Tompkins County, home to Ithaca.

Nassau County  ranked fourth among the top five counties with the lowest rates. And Suffolk ranked 10th among the top 10. Click here  for a complete list of the rankings.